The Panda Ant is a most unusual species with a lovely appearance. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They look like ants but actually they belong to the wasp（黄蜂）family. The differences between the two sexes of the species are also very pronounced in both appearance and behavior. When fully grown, the male, possibly attaining a length of approximately 0. 8 centimeters, is several times larger than the female. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cute as panda ants may look, they are dangerous and capable of knocking out an animal much larger than they are with a few stings（刺）.

    Panda ants primarily depend on flowers sweet liquid as their food. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The female panda ant often lays its eggs in a bee or wasp nest. When the young ones. hatch, they will eat their pupa（蛹）hosts.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} So although a female panda ant lays approximately 2, 000 eggs a year, a considerable amount of eggs to support their survival, this species is still on the edge of dying out.

    This species was first discovered in the coastal region of Central Chile in 1938. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Today, they are likely to be found in dry desert and sandy areas such as Southwestern United States and parts of Mexico.

A. It's a new fashion to raise panda ants as pets.

B. The name comes from their colors as pandas.

C. Yet young panda ants are meat-eaters.

D. No one believes the panda ant is the relative of bees.

E. Besides, the males are active at night while the females opposite.

F. Unfortunately, many panda ants are eaten for their bright colors.

G. Then little attention was given to it until recently.

Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule

    From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don't cook more often：ability, money, and time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Money is a topic I'll discuss another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:

    ⒈Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I'm already hungry and there's nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook？Do you have the right materials already？{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ⒉Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread？{#blank#}3{#/blank#} It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

    ⒊{#blank#}4{#/blank#} This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking is to try new things. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

    Hopefully that gives you a good start. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And don't let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Try new things.

B. Ability is easily improved.

C. Make three or four instead.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

Dealing with Difficult Relationships

    Everyone has at least one awkward or tense relationship. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It may be with somebody who will use up your energy whenever you are with them. Or worse, it could be someone who always cuts you down. By persuading you it's your obligation or duty, you forget about your own needs. Sadly, by remaining loyal to these people, you forget who you are. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} No matter who they are, it's necessary that you learn to set boundaries (界限) for yourself. It is you who allow them to take advantage of you or even belittle you.

    If you find a relationship unhealthy and it's time for you to set boundaries, the following advice may be helpful.

    Setting boundaries for difficult relationships starts by admitting how you are affected by the relationships. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} For example, it's time to study for tomorrow's test. But your friend wants to take you to a party. Here, setting boundaries will help protect your academic goals. Someone who pressures you to something you're not comfortable doing will stress you out. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Next, decide how much time you should spend with these people. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But it's difficult to help others if you forget to protect your own priority (优先次序).

    Settling boundaries requires taking a long, honest look at yourself. By saying no to harmful patterns in relationships, you say “yes” to a healthier you.

A. Does this kind of relationship lower your self-respect?

B. These people may be your family members or even friends.

C. It's easy to spend too much time and energy offering them help.

D. People may try to keep you in an unhealthy relationship.

E. But a friend who considers how you feel will respect your willingness to try something new.

F. It's not easy to set boundaries because you may be afraid of losing them.

G. Do they bring you closer to your goals or pull you farther away?

    You may not realize it, but you are doing more than just studying when you are at school. The school is also the place where you learn how to get along well with others. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} What can you do if you just don't like one of your classmates?

    If you discover that you have problems getting along with your classmates or friends，the most important thing to learn is tolerance(宽容). {#blank#}2{#/blank#} We cannot change the way that other people do, so it is important to learn to live happily with them.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Knowing others constantly makes us understand others, differences. Something different does not exactly mean that it is bad. Tolerance teaches us to keep an even temper and an open mind.

    You need to remember an old saying, "Treat others how you want to be treated." You would like to be treated kindly by your classmates, so it is important to treat them kindly too. If you tolerate something, it does not mean that you have to like it. No one is asking you to change who you are or what you believe in. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    It is important to practice tolerance because it will make everyone's life easier. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The world is very different, and practicing tolerance in your own school and city can help make a difference.

A. Learn to accept people for their different abilities and interests.

B. Tolerance will make everyone get on better with each other.

C. So it is important to learn to get on well with others.

D. Tolerance is the ability to realize and respect the differences in others.

E. Tolerance is a useful tool in everyday communication.

F. But this is not always easy.

G. Tolerance just means that you should respect the differences in others and not try to make them change.

How to Make Friends

    Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

    ⒈Associate with others.

    The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

    ⒉Start a conversation.

    Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

    ⒋Let it grow.

    It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

    ⒌Enjoy your friendship.

    The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A. Be cheerful.

B. Do things together.

C. Do not wait to be spoken to.

D. Try not to find fault with your friends.

E. For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.

F. So you will need to give your friend time to react to you.

G. Making new friends comes easy for some people.

How do actors and actresses memorize hundreds of lines? Memorizing lines takes practice and constant repetition. However, there are a few ways to make the memorization process run smoothly and quickly.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

For most performers, there is no quicker way of memorizing lines. To learn lines, an actor must recite the play loud over and over again. Most rehearsals (彩排) encourage this by running through the lines or having a "read through". By the time opening night arrives, most actors have spoken their lines hundreds of times.

Listen to your cast members(参演人员).

Sometimes inexperienced actors spend rehearsals just looking at fellow performers, waiting patiently to say their next line. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} This will help the actor learn his lines better because the context of the dialogue is absorbed.

Record your lines.

Because there is often not enough rehearsal time, many performers find ways to listen to the play's dialogue during everyday activities. They use a tape recorder or an MP4 player to listen to the lines from each relevant scene. Some actors prefer to record the lines of all the characters, including their own. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Others like recording the lines of fellow cast members, and they leave a blank space so that they can insert their dialogue while listening to the recording.

Think positively and don't panic.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Actors forget lines now and then. When it happens, however, most of the time the audience never notice. If you forget a line in the middle of your performance, don't freeze. Stay in character. Keep the scene going to the best of your ability. If unfortunately you forget a line once, you will probably never forget that line ever again. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Most actors will experience stage fright before the opening night.

B. Read lines loud and repeat them.

C. Practice makes perfect.

D. Read lines loud and remember them in a flash.

E. Sometimes embarrassment is the toughest method of memorization.

F. Then, they not only listen carefully, but they also speak all of the lines.

G. Instead, they should be listening carefully, responding in character at all times.